Landlords, your Gas Safety duties

Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, it is important to understand the laws regarding gas safety. As a tenant, you must always have a landlord legally responsible for the safety of the gas appliances in your flat. When was the last time you saw your landlord’s gas safety record? If your gas appliances, including your boiler, have not been safety-checked within the last year, there could be a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

From 1st October 2022, a CO alarm is required to be fitted in every habitable room of a rental property containing gas appliances (excluding appliances used for cooking purposes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The landlord is required to carry out checks and tests to ensure that carbon monoxide alarms in the rental property are working the day any new tenancy begins. From 1st January 2013, properties without inspection hatches for flues in voids are considered ‘At Risk’.

Remember, as a landlord, you have a legal responsibility for the gas safety of your tenants and a moral obligation to everyone living at Malting Mead, including neighbours in adjoining flats. Find out whether your property is Gas-Safe now.

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Private landlords – Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020

Private landlords are responsible for ensuring the safety of their tenants. However, some fail to do so, putting their tenants in danger as a result.

The latest Regulations require landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a person who is qualified and competent, at an interval of at least every 5 years. Landlords have to provide a copy of the electrical safety report to their tenants, and to their local authority if requested.

This means that all landlords now have to make sure the electrical installations in their rented properties are safe. The Regulations came into force on 1 June 2020 to improve safety in all residential premises and particularly in the private rented sector.

Click here for information

Right to Rent checks

From 1 February 2016, all private landlords in England have to make Right to Rent checks. This means checking that tenants have the right to be in the UK. You need to make right to rent checks if you:

  • are a private landlord
  • have a lodger
  • are sub-letting a property
  • are an agent appointed by a landlord to make right to rent checks

Click here for what the new Right to Rent checks mean for private landlords and tenants